Eponine's Redemption
by lesmiserablesphantom
Summary: She was on her own, but she no longer pretended he was beside her. She knew he wasn't, so why lie to herself? So, Eponine ends her life. But can God give her another chance at happiness? And with who?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hi! This is my first fanfiction, so don't judge too harshly, haha. This is mostly based on the musical, but there may be a few things from the book, but I'm not sure yet. Please read and review!**

Eponine looked over the Seine, crying softly to herself, watching as the waves crashed back and forth against the bridge. She stared into the water, wondering what went wrong in her life that made her end up here. She saw flashes of her life before her eyes, dark and twisted memories mocking her and her hopes.

You see, Eponine used to be a dreamer. She used to believe things would get better, that her prince would come and take her away from the nightmare that she had been forced to live in. But she soon discovered that reality is cruel, that knights don't exist (at least for people like her). Yet she still held onto the hope that everything would get better. And it seemed to. Marius had begun to notice her and listen and he began to see her differently...or so she thought. She never had the chance to understand how he felt towards her because he was stolen. He was stolen with one glance by Cosette, the personification of perfection. It was sadly amusing that the girl Eponine had loathed as a child grew into everything Eponine wished to be- including Marius' object of affection. It turns out, for Eponine at least, that dreaming was worthless, for the dreamer is the only one who gets hurt.

She had hoped that Marius still had some degree of affection for her, but she was again dissapointed. He no longer wanted anything to do with Eponine, except for the occasional errand of passing letters between Cosette and himself.

And it wasn't as though she could go home. Though, her father had a different definition of theword errand. He had given Eponine an ultimatum. She was either to become a whore and be welcome in the Thenardier home (and of course giving him half her pay) or to live on her own in the streets. She refused to sell herself and give her father the satisfaction of her suffering, so she had chosen the latter. When she had done this, though, she still had the hope of Marius.

Now, she had no hope of Marius' love, nor the loving home she wished for. She was alone with nothing. And that's how she ended up where she was now- contimplating death as the water crashed mercilessly.

Eponine gathered her courage, closed her eyes, and jumped into the icy, unforgiving river.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I got inspired for the first part of this chapter by Meg's verse in "Why Does She Love Me?" from Love Never Dies. I thought that it described how Eponine was feeling. Here are the lyrics:**

**The sea is calm**

**The sea is gray**

**It washes**

**Everything away**

**Sink into the deep**

**Blue and cool and kind**

**Then drift off to sleep**

**Let the past unwind**

**Leave the hurt behind**

**Anyway, on with the story! Oh, and review if you want to :)**

Eponine felt the air being forced out of her lungs as she jumped. As she hit the water, her body went numb, shutting down as the freezing water hit her like a thousand knives stabbing her. _Finally. _She thought, _I can finally let it go._ The unrelenting river washed away every memory as they passed before her eyes. As she allowed herself to go limp, the water filled her lungs. She closed her eyes._ I'm sorry_, she thought as felt the world slip away. She was finally in a peacefull sleep.

The world was spinning and was far too bright. At least, that's how Eponine felt when she opened her eyes. Adjusting to the near blinding light, Eponine lifted her head to survey her surroundings. _Where was she?_ Her head felt like cement (as did the rest of her body) and it hurt to even move. Looking around, she saw that she was alone in a room. It was painted pink and rather lovely, but where was she? And then the worst of her doubts crept up into her mind. _Oh, God. Did it not work? Am I still alive? Please, no. There's no way. No way in heaven or hell. _

Eponine looked down at herself to see that she was notin the same clothing she died (did she?) in. In replacement of her tattered brown skirt and ratty old chemise with a sorry excuse of a peasant shirt, there was a beautiful dress. A dress of blue silk that fit perfectly over a corset and puffed out at the waist, it even had white lace bordering the skirt. In short, it was the most beautiful dress she's ever worn. Of course, she dressed well as a child, but that was just a distant memory. And she remembered nothing so fine as the dress she wore now. After gawking at her dress, Eponine looked around the pink room, and noticed that she was on a bed. The matress was soft and the bedding nearly as beautiful as the dress. The pillows were adorned with white lace and the pillow itself was pink. The same could be said of the blanket. On the far right side of the room was a dresser with beautiful carvings covering the wood and all of its pink glory. Next to the dresser was a door, though it was white, it was still wonderfull due to the intricate detail in the golden door knob. Looking to the left the bed, she saw a side table (pink with gorgeous carvings in the wood) and on it was a mirror. The mirror was gold and beautifully hand crafted. But it wasn't the beauty of the mirror that surprised her. No, it was waht she saw in the mirror that made her gasp. It was her reflection. Along with the dress, her hair had been perfected. Her dark curls were piled atop her head in the latest parisian fashion, with a blue ribbon (matching her gown) keeping it in place. And her face was no longer dirty and covered in muck! She looked, dare she think it, beautiful.

But where was she? And who did this for (to?) her? And why? Eponine barely had a minute to process all of this when she heard footsteps coming from beyond the door. Sitting up like a rocket, Eponine listened and watched the door. _Maybe I can get some answers from whoever happened to do this? _Staring at the door knob, she saw it turn. The door opened painfully slowly, especially compared to Eponine's racing heart beat. The door finally opened, and she gasped, for in walked the most beautifully angelic man with a hand held out in front of him. An invitation...but to what?

**Author's Note (again): Thank you so much for your lovely reviews! And constructive criticism. It was all very much appreciated! I hope you liked this chapter: I hope I didn't bore you too much with the descriptions, haha. I want to have the next chapter up soon. Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hi! Sorry it's been a while since I've last updated. School can be a bitch. Anyway, I should be updating more often starting Wednesday. As for now, expect a chapter tomorrow, but no more till Wednesday. Thank you for your reviews! The dialogue is gonna start soon, I promise. There's actually a bit in this chapter...And the chapters are going to get longer. Read and review! Enjoy**

Eponine rose from the bed carefully, her movements similar to a dream. She stood and looked down at herself. Smoothing her dress, she walked towards the door and the man who was simply...perfect. His hand still reached for her and she looked at it questioningly. _Is this real? Well, obviously not 'Ponine. Think for once! You're clearly hallucinating. Or it's just a dream...well if it's a dream, what do I do? Just go with this man? _She debated for a few seconds before lifting her hand and placing it in his. The strange man smiled at her.

And she thought he was beautiful before! His blue eyes were shining, golden hair curly but under control, just above shoulder length. He had tanned skin (clearly from working in the sun if his muscles had anything to do with it) and a face that was sculpted by angels...or God himself. But, Eponine couldn't help but feel vaguely reminded of someone, she just couldn't place who.

He held her hand as he guided her out of the door and through a hallway. It was painted a light red and was lit with candles every ten steps. It was beautiful. They walked, neither saying a word, letting the silence speak for itself. He would glance at her every so often, and she would try to keep his gaze, but his eyes never seemed to stay on hers. After walking for several minutes, they reached a new door. A giant door, made of...gold. With carvings more intricate than she'd ever seen. It looked as though it belonged in the holiest of places. The man dropped Eponine's hand and knocked. The whole world seemed to stand still as they waited.

"IT'S OPEN." A voice beyond the door called. Though, to Eponine it didn't sound much like speaking. The voice had a musical quality to it. She looked to the angel-like man and saw him smirk. He reacked for the golden door knob and opened it.

The door revealed the most beautiful (and expensive) room she'd ever seen. The walls were a bright, almost blinding, white. There were paintings of...well, of everything. It was like an art museum. In the middle of the room, there was a gold table with gold chairs. And in the center of the back wall there was a gold throne. A man was sitting on the throne, a welcoming smile pasted on his face. Eponine couldn't even begin to fathom the pure beauty and perfection that radiated off this man. He was impossible to describe. And she thought that her escort was gorgeous. Thinking once again of him, she shot him a questioning glance. He only gestured towards the man on the throne.

"Come here, child! I do not bite!" The booming voice coming from this new man didn't give Eponine much of a choice. She didn't even think as she walked towards him. He stood up and greeted her.

"Eponine Marie Thenardier! Welcome!" He happily hugged her.

"...I...um, what? How do you know my name? Who are you?!" Everything was beginning to catch up to her, and Eponine could feel her mind spin. As well as the room.

"I thought you would have figured it out by now! Young lady, I thought I created you smarter than that! I am God."

Eponine's emotions ran wild. At first, she was happy that she was finally gone from the cruel world she was forced to live in. She then grew sad, but that sadness quickly turned to anger. It was all his fault that she was here at all. It was all him. He WANTED this to happen. And in true Thenardier fashion, Eponine raised her hand as if to slap him. As if to slap God.

He stood in front of her and waited for the slap, but it never came. She had thought better of slapping the creator of the universe across the face. She waited for him to speak. To condemn her for the sin of her suicide.

"I am truly sorry, Eponine. None of that was ever supposed to happen." Eponine gasped and took a step backwards. _What? _

"Then why did it?" She questioned, tears beginning to form.

"The sin of others. Your own sin. The blindness of others, much like your own blindness. I had a plan for you Eponine." He paused and looked at the angel that had brought her. He nodded his head at him, signaling him to leave. "My plan for you was better than anything you could have daydreamed about. Your parents got in the way of some of it, as did your lovely Marius." Eponine flinched at that. She couldn't help it. "In my plan, in your perfect world, Marius was only ever supposed to be your best friend. Someone you could rely on. Someone who would lead you to the person I actually did intend for you. But, you and your perfect other half missed each other. By a long shot. You were both blinded by your infatuation with other things."

Eponine's mind was racing, trying and failing to catch up to what god was saying. She looked at her feet, ashamed of herself.

"Eponine, how would you feel if you could start over? If you could have what I planned for you?"

"Are you sending me back? Please do not do that! I can't go back there!" The tears now began to flow down her cheeks.

"Not if you do not want me to. I could send you back to the beginning of this year, when you first met Marius. You can change your fate, Eponine Thenardier. If you wish it."

"...Okay. I will. I will try to live out your original plan. Anything can be better than what I had before, right?"

"I believe in you Eponine. I do. Now, if only I could have a talk with your other half. We'll just have to make do with what we have now." God placed his hands on Eponine's shoulders. "I'm sending you back now. I wish you the best of luck. And remember, if you need me, just imagine me there. I shall guide you to the best of my ability." Eponine felt herself fading away, seeing a bright white light fading into the Parisian sky. She blinked and saw that she was in her street clothes, standing in front of the Thenardier's flat. Shrugging her shoulders, Eponine picked up her feet and trudged inside, thinking of the possibility of her new fate.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I forgot to mention the fact that I own NOTHING. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll hopefully have another chapter up Wednesday. Thank you for your reviews! they mean a lot. Oh, and I promise that the next chapter will be super long. I've been working on it and it's about four pages right now. So, yeah. Read and review! Oh, and don't worry. Enjolras will show up soon!**

"You there! Oh, damn it all, what's your name? Eponine! That's it, correct? Of course it is! How much did you make today?" And that's what Eponine heard when she first entered her home. Monsieur Thenardier asking about how much money she'd made for him. Which had been none, because she'd been dead for at least a day. Her father was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to respond. She quickly reached for her pocket, ready to lie about losing the money, when she found five francs along with a note. She gave the five francs to him and turned to read the paper. _Good luck. Here's for today when you get home. And remember: Marius is NOT who you belong with. You'll find him soon. _Eponine smiled as she finished reading.

She was going to meet Marius for the first time (again) soon. She knew she was going to have to change the way she still felt about him ,but how hard could that be? God had told her that there was someone else, so she was going to take it all in stride.

Eponine took a walk through the city, wondering who God could have possibly made for her. He had said that they had missed each other, that they were both infatutated with other people. _Oh, well. I guess we'll find out soon. _Her head snapped up when she heard foot steps passing. Her eyes fell on a walking figure with curly brown hair. MARIUS. _Wait-what do I do? This is not how we originally met. Crap. Um, do I go after? Ask for money? Start choking and wait to see if he'll help me? _And so Eponine did just that. She doubled over in a coughing fit, sounding as though she were dying. Marius turned around to see where the noise was coming from.

"Mademoiselle? Are you all right? Do you need help?" He stood awkwardly next to Eponine, occasionally looking up at the passing people.

Eponine decided to slowly end her coughing fit. Looking up into Marius' eyes, she answered, "I'm fine. Thank you, Monsieur, for asking."

Marius was staring at her intently. "Yes, well, any decent person would. I'm glad you're okay. I am Marius Pontmercy. You are?"

"Eponine Thenardier. Pleased to meet you Monsieur." She continued to look at Marius and realized that she felt nothing towards him. It was shocking to say the least.

"You as well, Mademoiselle. Where were you off to?" He smiled at her, eyes shining.

"I was just walking. Where were you going?" Eponine shifted her eyes to the ground, avoiding Marius' gaze.

"A meeting at a little cafe. A little thing. Were you on your way home?" Eponine only nodded. "Would you like me to escort you home? We can't have a pretty girl like you all alone on the streets!"

Eponine blushed. Even though she felt nothing towards Marius in that moment, it was still nice to be thought of as pretty. "No, no, Monsieur. You don't have to do that." She started to walk away when he grapped her arm.

"It would be no bother!" Marius looked down sheepishly. "You see, I've just moved to the city, and haven't many friends. I just thought that you could...nevermind." He looked up hopefully into Eponine's eyes. She couldn't help but smile at him.

"Come on! Let's go." She grabbed his hand and led him towards her family's flat. As they walked, they talked of themselves and their families and friends. It seemed to Eponine that Marius was a much better friend that idol.

"You live here?" Marius asked Eponine. She lowered her gaze to her feet, ashamed of her home.

"Um, well, I...yes. I live here." She answered, staring at the ground, hoping that the dirty street would open and swallow her whole.

"I live in the flat next to yours. As I said earlier, I've recently moved. It's nice to know that I have a lovely neighbor."

Eponine raised her head and smiled. "It's nice to know that I have someone else other than my insane family."

"Would it be alright if I saw you tomorrow, Eponine?"

"Call me 'Ponine. And it would be alright." She smiled brightly, enjoying the fact that she could actually appreciate Marius' company without going crazy over being in his presence.

"Okay then! I shall see you tomorrow Mademoiselle 'Ponine." Marius awkwardly waved and watched as she entered her flat. He smiled to himself, thankful for his new friend, and walked towards the cafe where he was originally going.

Eponine closed the door and thought of her future. It was looking brighter already. But, she couldn't help but wonder who might make it better.


End file.
